House Democrats Say Pacific-Region Trade Talks Need Transparency

By Brian Wingfield -
Jun 27, 2012

A majority of U.S. House Democrats
said talks on a Pacific-region trade agreement the Obama
administration is negotiating with eight other nations haven’t
been sufficiently open to public and congressional scrutiny.

“We are troubled that important policy decisions are being
made without full input from Congress,” lawmakers led by
Representatives Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and George Miller of
California said in a letter today to U.S. Trade Representative
Ron Kirk.

The complaint, lodged by 132 of the 191 House Democrats,
reiterates comments by senators including Ron Wyden of Oregon
who have sought more transparency in discussions for the Trans-
Pacific Partnership.

Negotiations resume next week in San Diego to create an
agreement among the U.S., Australia, Brunei, Chile, Malaysia,
New Zealand, Peru, Singapore and Vietnam. The accord would cover
issues including small-business access to global markets,
agriculture, intellectual-property rights and protections for
companies that compete against state-owned enterprises.

It would “create binding policies on future Congresses,”
the lawmakers said in their letter. “We request that you
provide us and the public with summaries of the proposals
offered by the U.S. government.”

Carol Guthrie, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade
Representative’s office, said in an e-mail that she hadn’t yet
seen the letter and didn’t have an immediate comment.

The partnership is one of Obama’s top trade priorities, and
administration officials have said they are working
expeditiously to conclude the talks.